sunshine. one or two lonesome rain drops still to be found. by and large not a whole lot of major concerns. 49 now at national airport. winds are still light from the north averaging 9 miles per hour and temperatures are climbing into the mid and upper 40s. area wide you can already get a sense it is going to be a milder day today than yesterday. a little rain still left across northern and northeastern maryland. one or two sprinkles out toward the west virginia mountains as well. your saturday planner looks good. clouds this morning becoming sunny this afternoon and mild. temperatures into the 60s. the hurricanes are in charlottesville taking on the cavaliers at the noon kickoff down there on the grounds of the university of virginia campus. 62 degrees at kickoff. have a safe trip down and back. more college football coming up. >> chuck thanks. new this morning dozens of syrian soldiers were either killed or wounded after twin explosions in the civil war torn country. an activist group says the pair of suicide bombers attacked an encampment for government troops in the southern city of dara. the explosions were followed by clashes between government and

rebel forces. dara was the bir place of the uprising against syrian president bashar al assad in march of 2011. the huge shakeup at the cia as director david patraeus resigned because of an extra marital affair first reported by nbc news. nbc's chris clackum has more on the retired general's surprising revelations. >> reporter: in his resignation letter to president obama david patraeus, who took over at the cia in 2011, wrote, after being married for over 37 years i showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extra marital affair. such behavior is unacceptable both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. petraeus resigns just days after his boss won re-election, but president obama accepted it, saying about petraeus and his wife holly i wish them the very best at this difficult time. >> a little too soon to tell today because how soon this was but for lack of a better term

petraeus is a legend. he is one of the few generals in american history to get so much credit for so many things. >> reporter: petraeus had been scheduled to testify at house and senate hearings next week on the terrorist attack in september on the american embassy in benghazi, libya that left four americans dead including ambassador chris stevens. this is probably the most politically uncomfortable, leaving aside the stuff with the affair, just on the benghazi question the most politically uncomfortable moment the guy has had since he reached the national stage. it had to be a really hard time for him. >> reporter: the resignation of the highly decorated former combat commander caught even washington, d.c. off guard. chris clackum, nbc news. >> petraeus has been married to his wife holly for 37 years. she serves on the white house consumer finance protection bureau. the two have two children together. one of them lieutenant steven petraeus recently returned from a stint in afghanistan. the man set to run lockheed martin also resigned from his post because of an inappropriate

relationship. he admitted to having a relationship with a subordinate employee. he was supposed to take over as ceo for the bethesda based company in january but the company asked him to resign immediately. in the week ahead bipartisanship is the goal for lawmakers as they work to avoid the looming fiscal cliff. here's a live look at the white house where president obama will meet with business and congressional leaders this week to try to work out a deal. the president said yesterday during a press conference that he is open to compromise but he wants a balanced approach, which could include raising taxes on the rich. this morning on the "today" show republican senator bob corker of tennessee said his side of the aisle is ready to work together. >> i actually see a lot of common ground. the fact is that i think people on the right and the left agree that the upper income can pay more. it's just whether you get it through closing loop holes and

deductions. i don't know how the atmosphere could be any better. there is more commonality here than people can possibly imagine on this issue. there really is. let's just do it now. >> the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes will go into effect january 1st if nothing is done. it's been four days now since president obama was re-elected but florida remains the only state to not yet declare a .winner today though that is supposed to change. precincts have until noon today to submit their unofficial results to the secretary of state. no matter who wins the sunshine state president obama still has more than enough electoral votes for re-election. however, we may not know who wins the state today if the margin between the two candidates is less than half a percent. if that happens, florida state law requires a recount. today veterans and their families are getting the help they deserve. companies from around the area are holding a career fair for vets at george mason university. news 4's derrick ward joins us from the patriots center with

more on today's veterans career hiring event. a great event, derrick. >> indeed it is. this is a second annual one. i can tell you there have been a lot of people coming through these doors with great posture. you know there is something good going on here. the second annual event like this is part of the american freedom festival in conjunction with that. joining me now is sergeant major of the army jack tilly. thank you so much for joining us today. >> thank you so much for inviting me. >> my pleasure tell me about this. why was this job fair started? >> because right now it was started because there was about 11% of the veterans that joined the military after 9/11, the national average for veterans is 7.7%. the other problem you have is that even during this current war you had about 6500 killed, 50,000 veterans that are, have been wounded. one in five have some form of ptsd and 150,000 homeless veterans. so it's about helping our veterans find work and employment. that is why we're here and we're

not going to stop helping veterans for the rest of my life. >> indeed. it's going to be another drawdown so we could see the numbers increase even more. >> absolutely. i think the army is going from 545,000 down to about 490,000 so it's about transitioning into this sector. we had a goal last year of hiring at least a hundred people. this year we want to make it 200 people. if there are people listening and looking for employment and you're a veteran we'll be here today from 9:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon. come out and let us help you find a job. one more thing real quick. tonight we're going to do a show with chicago and kansas and give all the money to veterans. we've currently given away about $3 million to veterans so come out. support your vets, and god bless you. >> thank you so much sir. we appreciate that. >> thank you so much. >> want to show you more information about this. again, it's here at the patriots center and going on until about 2:00 this afternoon, this evening. come out and if you're an employer this is where you need to be. we're live in fairfax.

back to you. >> thanks, derrick. >> thanks, guys. all right. today the united states marine corps celebrates its 237th birthday. they were formed back in 1775 in philadelphia and boast more than 200,000 active duty marines from around the world. also on this date 58 years ago president dwight eisenhower dedicated the marine corps memorial in arlington. the memorial showed the iconic image of americans raising the u.s. flag on the japanese island of iwo jima in 1945. a traffic alert this morning. if you're hitting the road in d.c. some major streets are closing this morning for the american heart association's annual heart walk. the walk, which raises money for heart disease and stroke research is set to shut down several d.c. streets including new jersey avenue, 3rd street, 4th street, n street, and potomac avenue. closures start around 9:15 this morning and everything should be back to normal around 11:30. the time is 9:07. next a resurgence of occupy wall

street. why some are actually thanking demonstrators this morning. and preparing for the entire family for winter. coming up expert advice on protecting your pets from the cold weather. >> and what may be to blame for your allergies flaring up even though spring is long gone. >> tell us what you're going to do with this great weather outside this weekend. we are logged on on facebook and twitter throughout the show. just search news 4 today. we'll be right back.

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sandy's impact is still evident in the northeast and this week president obama plans to tour hard hit new york. the white house says the president will meet with families affected by the storm on thursday along with local lawmakers and first responders. sandy is estimated to have caused $33 billion in damage in new york state alone. it's also blamed for the deaths of more than 100 people and it left millions in the dark. the president has visited the new jersey coast to view recovery efforts where sandy made landfall. gas rationing in new york and on long island seems to have ended hour-long waits for fuel. the plan went into effect yesterday and allows drivers with license plate numbers

ending in odd numbers to fill up on odd number calendar days and even numbers on even calendar days. police are on hand to make sure drivers play by the rules. there is still a shortage of gas even though lights are slowly coming back on. oil analysts say that is because the suppliers are still struggling to get back up to speed. those who still need help in the wake of sandy have found help from an unlikely source. protesters from occupy wall street are helping deliver medicine, blankets, and food to people throughout the big apple. the occupy sandy movement started at a brooklyn church a day after the storm and occupiers are using social media to help spread the word and get donations for victims. inova hospital and the leesburg community are collecting blankets for those devastated by sandy. there are still a lot of people without power. part of operation keep them warm is hoping to end that.

fedex is taking care of shipping costs. you can donate blanks to inova loudoun hospital until tuesday. the american red cross says the relief effort is the largest in the u.s. since hurricane katrina. the red cross has raised $117 million in donations and pledges. nbc is behind a big chunk of that bringing in $23 million with last week's telethon. the salvation army has chipped in raising $5 million to help those affected by the storm. some of hollywood's biggest stars are once again lending a hand to help those affected by superstorm sandy. robert deniro, michael j. fox and matthew broderick are shooting public service announcements to help raise money for victims of sandy to help find permanent housing. the fund will help people repair and return to their damaged homes. >> a lot of celebrities pitching in. the time is 9:13. next we'll meet a basketball court so slippery the players couldn't finish last night's game. plus news many teenage girls will be happy about this morning. and the new research that

might give you good reason to work out on this saturday morning instead of reaching for that snack. it's a decent day outside. how long will the mild weather last? chuck bell has your forecast next.

welcome back everybody. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. we are off to a fairly cloudy start on your saturday morning but temperatures are going to be noticeably milder today than they were yesterday. just you wait. tomorrow is looking like a winner indeed. for now though we have a mostly cloudy sky already in place here in washington. our temperature is at 49 degrees. winds out of the north averaging only 8 miles per hour. not much of a breeze to worry about today. grant you the wind is going to be laying down and eventually coming back to the south in time for your sunday. current temperatures a cooler 42 in hagerstown, frederick, maryland at 43 this morning. waldorf, la plata, charlotte hall in the low 40s. already low 50s down across southern maryland. 47 degrees down in charlottesville. your saturday planner yes indeed we have cloud cover this morning but these clouds are not going to be sticking around all day. our skies will become partly sunny to mostly sunny by middle

of the afternoon time today. extra sunshine will put temperatures today back into the 60s for the first time in the month of november we'll be back above 60 degrees. down in quantico your hometown forecast plenty of sunshine. 55 degrees by noon time. up to near 60 degrees in quantico for a high today then by the time you're ready to go out to the movies, 7:00 tonight 52 degrees under a mostly clear sky. only back into the upper 40s by 11:00. not really all that chilly indeed. here is storm team 4 radar. not much going on around town. there are rain drops across parts of far northern and especially northeastern maryland so if you're making the drive up i-95 toward philadelphia, new jersey, you'll run back into a little more cloud cover but back out to the west where there were rain drops in the mountains of west virginia earlier those are now drying up. so that is welcome news. this is all part of essentially the warm front that is allowing the transition from the cool weather we've been in for the last couple weeks to a milder weekend. so today we'll add about 5 or 6 degrees on top of yesterday and

tomorrow put another five on top of that. enjoy it though. a huge storm system in the middle of the country. that snow across the western dakotas and montana, wind advisories and high wind warnings across most of the plains states today, very energized storm. we'll have a surge of warm air in here for today, tomorrow, and monday. showers with rain chances. maybe even some thunderstorms on tuesday. ahead of much cooler weather. so the pattern change is under way. high pressure moving on in. a great day today. as it moves offshore it'll get more of a southerly wind component around here tomorrow so a beautiful, warm, sunny sunday afternoon coming up. enjoy it though. that weather front is making steady progress toward the eastern seaboard. it'll bring us our rain chances starting maybe as early as late monday night. most likely into the day on tuesday. so today nothing to really worry about. temperatures up into the low and mid 60s under increasing amounts of sunshine this afternoon. tomorrow veterans day. 70 degrees. 72 with plenty of clouds coming up on monday. there's our best chance for rain for this week coming in on

tuesday. now it is veterans day weekend. we've got our college football forecast salute. vmi hosting the citadel down in lexington, virginia. sunshine and mild for that game. 67 degrees. the midshipmen of navy, they are on the road taking on troy down in alabama. sunshine and 71 degrees for the midshipmen. the falcons of air force are in san diego today taking on san diego state. cloudy, showery temperatures only in the 60s there. and the black knights of the hudson army taking on rutgers today at rutgers. cloudy skies and 51 degrees. more other college football forecasts coming up in just a minute. thanks, chuck. as you prepare for winter be sure not to forget one important member of your family or members. your pets. joining us this morning is dr. chris of the animal hospital in fairfax county. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> today is not a good example because the weather is quite wafrm b warm but as we go into the winter months in trying to protect our pets we could do more harm.

we really need to get them outside to exercise, right? >> we absolutely do. there is an epidemic in veterinary medicine, obesity in animals, dogs mainly. i would say 30% to 40% of dogs are obese and most of that is from inactivity and over eating. when you bring winter into the mix then it gets even worse. when our spring appointments roll around it's always like your dog has just gained four or five pounds and why is that? well they don't exercise. i think that that can be prevented pretty easily. >> what would be the best way to burn calories without freezing your dog? >> well, i think that's a good question. a lot of people, i think there is a misconception about dogs being able to go outside and have a nice walk while it's cool. i think they can actually do quite well and actually like it a lot. take a labrador, they are built to walk in the water and cold and cooler weather. don't be afraid out there. i think a lot of people use it

as an excuse. no. they do very well. i think around d.c. with our weather and weather challenges a 33-degree rainy day is a lot worse than a 20-degree snowy day. okay? >> interesting. >> definitely. >> wow. i want to talk about medications because during the summer time a lot of us are big on the flea and tick medication. is this something we should continue into the winter months? >> definitely. i think this is something we need to educate every pet owner about. the normal flea and tick medications we use, the topicals, they need to be applied monthly not stopped during the winter months and the reason is we have one cool warm day rather in january, 50 degrees or higher, ticks will come out. absolutely we are the loudoun and fairfax county are two of the highest, they have the highest percentages of lyme positive dogs in america. we are really now at the core of the problem of lyme disease.

while not all of them are actually clinically positive, they test positive and can become positive. >> and heart worm also. >> yes. you have your flea and tick medications which is usually topical and then your heart worm medication which is usually a chewable. now the heart worm medication, heart worms in the winter time it is not that big of a threat. however, the heart medication is more than just for heart worms but for intestinal pair sights. the intestinal parasites can be easily detected during the winter time. keep them on the monthly preventative. >> i want to get to quick grooming tips. there are some things to consider when talking about keeping your dog and your cat looking good. but there's health reasons for that. >> there are health reasons for that. when we -- dogs and cats -- dogs especially can blow their coats right now. it is nice to brush them and keep that undercoat out but i really believe that people over bathe their pets. they always ask me how often

should i bathe my pet? when they're dirty. it can really dry their skin out and it's probably a detriment. >> and then considering omega 3/6 fatty acids for dry coats another tip. we'll have this available on our website at nbc washington.com. thanks so much for stopping by. >> thank you for having me. >> all right. we'll send it over to richard for more on your sports. the wizards look for their first win of the young season. carol maloney has it all in this morning's sports minute. good saturday morning everybody. i'm carol maloney in your sports minute starting with college hoops. maryland taking on the kentucky wildcats in brooklyn. this one was close. second half kentucky up one. seth allen finds alex lens. he finds the dunk. terps up one. kentucky roared back. up three. last-second chance for howard

and he misses it. terps lose a heart breaker, 72-69. hoyas facing the tenth ranked florida gators aboard the u.s.s. baton. forces a turnover. the steal and he looks ahead to porter. porter is automatic. georgetown trailed by four at the half but no second half. condensation on the court forces them to call the game. and the game will not count or be made up. to the big boys wizards looking for their first win of the year against the bucs. on the break he's slamming this one home. 22 points in the game for the rookie. the wizards fall, 101-91. big news for nat fans. nl manager of the year candidate davy johnson signs a one-year deal to return as the nats' skipper. johnson plans to retire at the end of 2013. and don't forget college football. terps kick off against clemson at 3:30.

virginia hosts miami at noon. howard takes on georgia southern at 2:00. that's your sports minute. i'm carol maloney. hope your saturday is a good one. >> thanks. experts have said for years that the key to losing weight is diet and exercise. but now it looks like one may help the other. two new studies show exercise may actually suppress your appetite. they say moderately intense aerobic training could actually decrease your appetite or increase your feeling of fullness. although many will tell you that usually that is not the case. the studies point to the kind of exercise you do. they say you likely don't feel as full after an aerobic workout rather than resistance training. here is something that will give any allergy sufferer a headache. doctors say the allergy season is getting longer and more severe. researchers say pollen counts are expected to double over the coming decades and the effects could last even longer. in the year 2000 pollen production began in april and peaked in may. allergists say by 2040 that peak

will come a month earlier. and the reason for the change scientists say it could be climate change. >> we see a rise in greenhouse gases like carbon monoxide. this fuels the growth for pollinating plants so it leads to an increase in allergies. >> some things you can do to try to lessen the effects -- shower before bed, clean your glasses, keep windows closed, wash your pets. you should also see an allergist. so many teenage girls are happy to wake up and hear this headline. it's true. justin bieber is single again. the 18-year-old singer broke up with actress selena gomez. the split apparently happened last week. distance and their busy schedules contributed to the breakup. bieber is on tour and his now ex-girlfriend is filming with the disney channel. the two made their first public appearance in february of last year. >> you doing okay? >> i think i'm going to survive.

he wasn't very nice when i first met him. >> that's right. >> we have a love/hate relationship. >> maybe selena does too now. >> perhaps. maybe she got word how he treated me. just kidding. the time right now 9:28. hurricane sandy may be long gone but the problems are still lingering. >> next why some people who had power are now back in the dark. >> and the phone calls that make flying the friendly skies a little less friendly.

good morning everyone. welcome to news 4 today. i'm angie goff. >> i'm richard jordan.

it is saturday, november 150th, 2012. we are in for a pretty good weekend. >> i know. i cannot wait to get out and enjoy it. a lot of other people are going to be enjoying it because it is veterans day weekend. there's going to be a lot of parades and chuck has more on what's in store. >> all right. thanks. a lot of things going on this weekend. whether you're going to be back yard barbecuing which you actually will be able to do for a nice change of pace after our cold snap or whether you're going to a parade or just walking around the beautiful monuments around washington up toward the world war ii memorial, the marine corps memorial, any of those great places good weather to get outside. you can see the veterans and give them a handshake and tell them job well done. plenty of clouds this morning. increasing amounts of sunshine by later this afternoon. i can see the sun gleaming through on the outside of the windows here in northwest washington. outside of our windows anyway. still a few lingering rain drops in far northeastern maryland. those are moving away from us. clouds this morning but sunshine for later on today. temperatures climbing up into the low 60s today. the bison of howard university

are on the road in statesboro, georgia taking on georgia southern today. 74 degrees down there in southern georgia for a 2:00 kickoff. and the terpins have also gone south for the weekend taking on the clemson tigers in death valley. a 3:30 kickoff. big acc battle. sunshine and 70 degrees. somebody knew something when they planned these november trips down south. >> all right. chuck, thank you. well, checking some of our top stories this morning the cia is looking for a new director. retired general david patraeus resigned after admitting to an extra marital affair. petraeus was director of the cia for a little more than a year. president obama will hold several meetings at the white house next week in hopes of avoiding the fiscal cliff. he will meet with business leaders on wednesday and congressional leaders on friday. automatic spending cuts and tax hikes will kick in january 1st if no deal is reached. expect delays on metro this veterans day weekend. two stations are closed on the orange line and there is single tracking on parts of the orange, red, and green lines.

the work will last through the holiday on monday. this morning two teens face charges for the murder of a d.c. taxi driver whose body was later found inside his burning cab. police found the burning vehicle in the 1400 block of redwood parkway northeast wednesday night with the man's body inside. investigators say the two 17-year-olds robbed the driver and shot him in the head. the victim's co-workers say they're stunned and scared. >> if you are going to do that, why are you killing the person? just go rob him and go away. just don't kill the person. >> reporter: police haven't released the victim's name or said what the teens were after. only on news 4 a man talks about the scary moments after he found an 81-year-old woman beaten in her own home. police say a teenager broke into the woman's house on mckinley street in northwest on wednesday then beat her, robbed her, and took off. a while later her mail carrier discovered her and called police. both he and neighbors say they

cannot imagine someone would do something like this. >> i never witnessed anything in this community like that either. just strange. unfortunately, it had to happen with someone like her. >> for someone to take advantage of an 81-year-old woman at best you can say evil. at worst deranged. >> 18-year-old tyron mqgalus was arrested. there is a new aquatic center being built but some are still wait forgue other projects to be completed first. the area's state delegate james proctor says he has gone to annapolis multiple times to secure money for the projects but a state park requested and approved four years ago still has not been completed by maryland parks and planning. >> they say okay to these projects but it takes forever for them to build it. from us, $800,000.

>> reporter: and not one project done. >> not one. >> representatives with maryland park and planning say the skate park should be finished by 2013 and the aquatic center will be completed by 2016. a bitter battle between american airlines and their pilots could soon come to an end. the pilots union says it has reached an agreement for a new contract. the pilots will vote on whether to ratify the contract over the next few weeks. if approved it could help americans get out of bankruptcy or american get out of bankruptcy. american has about 7500 pilots right now. a new battle is brewing in the skies over in flight phone calls. an increasing number of passengers are making calls mid flight thanks to skype and other internet calling services. the "usa today" reports flight crews and many passengers complained the calls are noisy and distracting. groups representing the electronics and cell industry are encouraging the calls saying they can be as easy as streaming

a video. hurricane sandy's impact continues to wreak havoc. this morning power crews in north carolina's outer banks are trying to figure out what caused another huge round of power outages overnight. nearly 40,000 dominion virginia customers lost power last night for an hour and a half. crews believed salt buildup from the storm could be to blame bringing down some power lines. dominion crews are doing forensic testing on the wires to determine if that was the actual cause. it's a sign of recovery for new york city after sandy battered the big apple. last night the statue of liberty was lit for the first time since the storm. the landmark was damaged during the storm. it had just reopened after about a year of renovation but there is still no word on when it will be open to the public. right now a record 18,000 people are taking part in the annual anthem richmond marathon and the city can thank new york for the record turnout. organizers of the race say just minutes after last weekend's new york city's marathon was canceled because of superstorm sandy hundreds of new runners signed up.

there are also marathons today in ohio, indiana, and florida that are attracting runners expecting to race last weekend in the big apple and i guess with all that training you want to credit the youth. a man is punished for taking his crush on madonna a little too far. >> and the plunge at niagara falls that brought out rescuers to save a woman in distress. forget the butter ball. there are other stars this thanksgiving. the new characters in this year's macy's thanksgiving day parade. that's nex

right now there could be some delays on metro as they use a long veterans day to do some track work on the orange line. buses are replacing trains between east falls church and clarendon. the ballston virginia square stations are closed and trains are single tracking between vienna and east falls church. the same thing between grovener

and friendship heights on the red line and greenbelt and college park on the green. the work lasts through the day monday. there are plenty of transportation options in our area but how well does the bus or train stop near your home connect you to your job? news 4's transportation reporter adam tusk has the results of a new study. >> reporter: in most neighborhoods in our region you don't have to go far to find a commuter train or bus. the way to replace the car and help cut out our congestion. a new report from the brookings institution says places like downtown d.c., capitol hill, and arlington are the best for linking jobs to transit. but if you want to live in a place with numerous public transit options you usually are going to have to pay a high housing cost for it. that means some workers simply can't live close to jobs. >> it's really tough to afford especially for low income residents and middle school residents. >> reporter: robert fells pointes with the brookings

institution says if we're not careful a whole segment of the community could be pushed further from the area. >> we have to do a better job of making sure it's not just the housing and transit connected but that people can afford to live in these places which are so attractive right now. >> reporter: of course longer commutes just add to the congestion problem. here on metro rail commuters have mixed feelings with the way the system connects them to their jobs and homes. >> it feels pretty good that way from the people i talk to. i mean, everybody that i -- at least in my little corridor here -- everybody seems like they talk about a lot as part of their lives. they use it. it works reasonably well. >> i would like it if there were more opportunities to grab metro but it is fine for what i need it for. >> reporter: and still there are others that say our mass transit like metro needs to function better on the whole. >> almost every time i need to use it seems like the escalators are out or i have to wait forever. so it's the best choice but i'm not thrilled. >> reporter: in the district,

news 4. and some express lanes aimed at getting you to work faster are about to open. the express lanes on 495 in virginia are set to open next saturday. the toll lanes run on both the inner and outer loops. they will be opened 24 hours, seven days a week, and pricing will change based on traffic conditions. the lanes are completely electronic so you'll need one of the ez passes to pay the tolls. food trucks have become a staple in the district but those that drive meals on wheels say they are being threatened by some possible new regulations. the district has proposed new rules for the mobile vendors that are typically reserved for brick and mortar stores. one is a ten-foot rule that says there must be ten feet of unobstructed sidewalk in order for vendors to operate curbside. many say that rule alone could keep them from selling in some of their most popular spots. >> eight of ten of our hot spots wouldn't comply with those regulations right there. >> i don't think that would be

good for us as small business people. it would be terrible for our customers who love to come out and enjoy the food trucks. >> the proposal is in the public common phase now. vendors are urging customers to weigh in before next week's deadline. people in france are saying no to a proposed tax increase on the popular chocolate hazelnut spread nutella. the upper house of the french government passed a proposal to increase the tax on products with palm oil by 300%. nutella is made with palm oil and has a high fat content. nutritionists say palm oil has a connection with heart disease and stroke but french food makers are upset with the tax hike saying it will force them to raise prices on their products. the macy's thanksgiving day parade is right around the corner and there are new additions to the floats this year. hello kitty, papa smurf, and elf on the shelf will join the regulars like mickey, "spider-man", and sponge bob square pants this year.

carman and jimmy fallon are scheduled to perform. catch the macy's thanksgiving day parade thursday, november 22nd at 9:00 a.m. right here on nbc 4. i don't know elf on a shelf. >> i have elf on a shelf. they have the movie out now. it's on row education. but a little elf comes in a box. you can't touch him because he'll lose his magic. >> oh, okay. >> then he sends messages to santa claus if the kids are good. >> that's why richard d.oesn't know anything about him. >> we've broken out the elf on the shelf but i think the magic is gone because the door has been flapping. >> can a terrible 2-year-old still get goodies from santa? i wonder. >> we may have to work out a deal. >> maybe so. looks like we made a good deal for the weather this weekend. no doubt about it. finally, finally a little milder weather coming our way. how long does it last though? the forecast is next.

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i'm drinkin' a dunkin' latte. i'm in love with my dunkin' latte. it is a treat. they're packed with flavor. it's my kind of latte. try the simply delicious latte everyone can enjoy. america runs on dunkin'! it's a sign the holidays are just around the corner. the annual holiday show ice opens next friday at the gaylord national resort and national harbor. 40 ice carvers are putting finishing touches on the life sized sculptures. 2 million pounds of ice are used to create the walk through. this year's theme?

the movie "shrek" and the show runs through january 6th. it is truly a sight to see. >> we need to do a behind-the-scenes piece on that. i want to know how they get that ice green. >> i don't know how they color it. food coloring. >> you could either color the water and then freeze it or just paint it. >> i don't think paint would stick to the ice. >> that would be tricky. probably some sort of powder they use. >> i should go out and investigate that. >> an investigative story. >> the i-team. richard jordan joins the i-team for this story alone. >> it is really cool though. >> and for us it's kind of been weird. they're starting the ice sculptures on a weekend when we finally get above averages in temperatures again. such is life. we've waited a long time, everybody. temperatures have been colder than average here since the end of october our longest stretch of below average temperatures since, wait for it, snowmageddon. in 2010.

february, 2010. >> right. >> this was the end of the big winter. this is our longest stretch of below average temperatures in more than two years. that's crazy. outside for now, we are transitioning from a cold pattern to a milder pattern which will last not really all that long but we'll take it because it's coming on a weekend. a holiday weekend at that. a lot of folks have three full days off and the weather is going to be really nice. today we're starting out with a little bit of gloomy grayness and cloud cover outside first thing. but temperatures have already started to respond to the sunshine that is getting through. up to 49 now at national airport. 48 in fredericksburg and stafford. 49 waldorf and la plata. 54 already in northern montgomery county. still 46 in winchester and front royal. your hometown forecast in waldorf today temperatures up to around 60 degrees by 3:00 this afternoon. back down into the low 50s by 7:30. by bed time tonight around midnight back up to the upper 40s. not all that cold. we have the clouds out here but rain drops are basically done

with us. up across far northern and northeastern maryland. that is the only spot left where we're still seeing anything in the way of light rain showers. but this is going to be a dry weekend out ahead of a very large storm system. cold air is diving to the south which is going to push warm air in our direction for the weekend but this is going to be a serious winter storm for parts of the upper midwest out into the northern plains. for us, when it gets here, when the front gets here on tuesday we might actually have thunderstorms in november on your tuesday. so the pattern change goes from a cold trough to a warm ridge as the high pressure ridge moves offshore and we get southerly winds. so a beautiful sunny sunday to salute your veterans all across the area. there's the weather front marching its way in our direction. it leaves us alone until tuesday. so today sun and clouds mixed together. milder than yesterday. temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s. tomorrow sunny and warmer. perfect weather for all of your veterans day activities. up to and including just sitting in a back yard and enjoying a little nice weather. here is the seven-day forecast.

60s today. 70s for tomorrow and tuesday. showers maybe some thunderstorms on tuesday before cool sunshine returns. a little high brow on the college football. dartmouth and brown ivy league clash up in hanover, new hampshire today. sunny and chilly. not bad for a $40,000 a year education for both. out in the midwest, penn state hold on to your hats nittany lion fans. south winds 20 to 40 miles pour today taking on the huskers today. 77 in nebraska today. the 30s tomorrow. down in southeastern virginia odu is hosting the tribe from william & mary. sunshine down in the tide water day and 63. all the midwestern games going to have a screaming win all day. >> sounds good. i correct myself when i said 2009. it is the 2009-2010 winter season. record breaking. >> you are correct. >> we'll move on now. >> sorry. let's move to the movies. at the box office this weekend the last time we saw james bond

he was parachuting out of a helicopter with the queen of england during the summer olympic opening ceremonies. >> now he is back to his usual -- fast cars, women, and martinis. oh, boy. this is a look at the new bond movie and other films in the box office this weekend. >> 007 reporting for duty. >> where the hell have you been? >> enjoying death. >> reporter: james bond looks pretty good for a dead guy in "sky fall." daniel craig renews his license to kill for this, the 23rd film in the 50-year history of the franchise. this time trouble comes to his door step. bond's boss comes under fire for a past mistake after an assassination attempt 007 goes after the criminal mastermind behind the attack but it may be a trap set by javier bardem that will test bond's loyalty to mi-6. "sky fall" is rated pg-13. >> a government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth. >> meet the man behind the

gettysburg address, lincoln. no bloody axes or flying vampires in this one. director steven spielberg takes a realistic look at the 16th president's final months in office. after a devastating end to the dividing civil war honest abe is determined to end the fighting, repair the union, and abolish slavery for the agenda that reveals his political talent and guile. sally fields plays his wife mary. lincoln is rated pg-13. that is the box office preview. >> "lincoln" opens in select theaters this weekend and everywhere next week. some in our area include the landmark bethesda row, amc in georgetown and amc tysons corner. the award winning actor kenneth branaugh is now a knight. he received the knighthood during a ceremony at buckingham palace yesterday. he is a native of northern ireland and is best known for directing and starring in big screen adaptations of

shakespeare, like hamlet and henry v. he also directed the recent super hero flick thor. the celebration of the queen's jubilee is making its way to australia this morning. prince charles and his wife camilla are touring the town today and were greeted by australia's prime minister and helped unveil a street sign renamed for queen elizabeth. the royal couple will also visit new zealand as part of the trip. a former firefighter could spend a year behind bars for getting a little too close to madonna. a jury found robert linhart guilty of evading arrest. police say he parked his suv outside her apartment and started writing her messages. officers tried to arrest him but say he started flailing his arms. his lawyer says he plans to appeal the verdict. a woman is recovering this morning after falling into a river near niagara falls. she was walking along the niagara gorge when she slipped and fell into the fast moving waters. rescuers found her clinging to rocks and air lifted her to

safety. doctors say other than a case of hypothermia she is expected to make a full recovery. it is not exactly what you want to see swimming with you in open water. a man on a small fishing boat off the coast of santa cruz, california shot this video when he noticed a dark object in the water. it turns out that object was a 14-foot long great white shark. it came close to the surface but, fortunately for the man, it swam away. >> that doesn't scare me. okay. it's four minutes until 10:00. the election was days ago but one state could shake up the electoral map. the revelation we could learn today. now that the polls are closed d.c. gets down to inauguration business. the plans you may want to make now before you hear sold out.

good morning. i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie goff. thanks so much for joining us on this saturday, november 10th, 2012. i think you're going to like what we have to tell you about the weather. >> good news for us. hey, chuck. >> good news forecast filled with warming temperatures and clearing skies. that's all sounding like good news since nearly everybody has a three-day weekend. that's the view now from our tower camera here in northwest washington. you're looking westbound into an

ever blueing sky. that means that things are going to be much nicer around here later this afternoon than they have been so far this morning. current temperatures thanks to the sunshine we are getting through the clouds have already risen into the upper 40s and low 50s. we're on our way up into the low 60s in many spots today. last of the rain drops now far northeastern maryland moving away from us. your saturday planner clouds this morning becoming sunny and nice this afternoon with a high of near 63 degrees. tomorrow even nicer. sunshine start to finish highs near 70 tomorrow. college football, michigan hosting northwestern. the wildcats up in ann arbor today. a noon kick off. cloudy and 55. not bad by michigan and november standards. the west virginia mountaineers are going out to the second best town in oklahoma. still water that is. cloudy and windy. is it going to be windy out there for the oklahoma state/west virginia game. good luck, mountaineers. undefeated lehigh hosting colgate today. 54 degrees. the patriot league championship game. >> chuck, thanks. new this morning dozens of

syrian soldiers were either killed or wounded after twin explosions in the civil war torn country. an activist group says a pair of suicide bombers drove bomb laden cars into an encampment for government troops in the southern city of dara. the explosions were followed by clashes between government and rebel forces. dara was the birth place of the uprising against syrian president bashir al assad in march of 2011. afghanistan is preparing for its next presidential election. the country's election commission announced that voters will head to the polls on april 5th, 2014. it comes as the country's security forces begin to take the country as american troops start pulling out. there is concern about whether those forces will be able to provide ample security for the election. the major preparations will begin about 16 months ahead of time. the beltway is still reeling this morning after cia director david petraeus resigned because he had an extra marital affair. the retired general stepped down yesterday after admitting to the affair. there are reports that it was with the author of his recent

biography. political analysts say petraeus was an essential piece of president obama's defense and security team and it will be a challenge to replace him. >> this is a guy who has been, lots of people have known and worked with. the president has to remake his national security team. i don't think he was counting on replacing the cia director but he did perform at a very high level, one of most excellent people in his profession in the last hundred years. they need to find somebody to replace him who is equally apt. >> petraeus has been married to his wife holly for 37 years. she serves on the white house consumer finance protection bureau. they, too, have two children together. one of them lieutenant steven petraeus who recently returned from a stint in afghanistan. the man who was set to run lockheed martin also stepped down because he was involved in an inappropriate relationship. he admitted to having a relationship with a subordinate employee and was supposed to take over as ceo for the bethesda-based company in

january but the company has asked him to resign immediately. in the week ahead it could be critical in building bipartisanship to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. take a live look at the white house now where president obama will meet with business and congressional leaders this week. they're going to try to work out a deal. the president said yesterday during a press conference that he is open to compromise but he wants a balanced approach which could include raising taxes on the rich. this morning on the "today" show republican senator bob corker of tennessee said his side of the aisle is ready to get to work. >> i actually see a lot of common ground. the fact is that i think people on the right and the left agree that the upper income can pay more. it's just whether you get it through rates or closing loop holes and deductions. i think it is time for us to act. i don't know how the atmosphere could be any better. there is more commonality here than people can possibly imagine on this issue. there really is. let's just do it now.

>> the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes will go into effect january 1st if nothing is done. it's been four days since americans went to the polls and florida is still undecided in the race for the white house. however, that is supposed to change today. precincts in the sunshine state have until noon today to submit their unofficial results to the secretary of state. no matter who wins florida, president obama still has more than enough electoral votes for re-election. however, we may not know who wins the state today if the margin between the two candidates is less than half a percent. if that happens florida state law requires a recount. now that the election is over d.c. is focusing on preparing for the upcoming inauguration. people living in the area are preparing in their own ways. news 4's shomari stone explains. >> exciting. >> reporter: amy london plans to rent her one-bedroom apartment just three blocks from the white house for as much as $5,000 during president obama's

inauguration weekend. >> not going to share it because i will be somewhere else and still be there for the excitement. >> reporter: 1.8 million people attended the excitement during the president's historic inauguration in 2009. tonight d.c. tourism officials tell me this time around the economic impact could be tens of millions of dollars. >> i believe that it will have the same level of excitement. >> reporter: hector torres is the general manager at the beacon hotel in northwest dbs. the hotel has already reserved 50 rooms for inauguration weekend in just three days. when president obama won a second term -- >> the next day immediately phones were literally off the hook. obviously a lot of people asking for availability. >> reporter: hotel occupancy was 98% in d.c. in 2009's inauguration. the average daily rate was $600. >> we expect 110%. >> reporter: manager clint jackson expects a full house at georgia brown's. >> people have been calling the restaurant since the election has already been over. >> reporter: while businesses around town prepare to cash in,

amy london is crossing her fingers. if she doesn't get the five grand? >> $3,000. i'm open. exciting. >> i would be excited with all that money too. that was shomari stone reporting. those in charge of the ceremony expect another huge crowd. the 2009 inauguration drew the largest audience of any event in d.c. history. it's going to be huge. >> got to start early. >> be here before we know it. time right now 10:06. coming up the event today offering new job opportunities for america's heroes. and a weather phenomenon spotted down under. we'll show you the unusual twister that has some spinning their heads wondering where does that come from? >> join us online on facebook and twitter. search news 4 today. search news 4 today. we'll be back in a moment.

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right now local businesses are working to help veterans and their families find new jobs. this is the second annual veterans career hiring event. there are thousands of unemployed veterans and the impending withdrawal from afghanistan means that number could go even higher. >> the army is going from 545,000 down to about 490,000 so it's about transitioning into the sector. we had a goal last year of hiring at least a hundred people. this year we want to make it 200.

>> the job fair is part of the american freedom festival. government service agencies and major companies will be on hand to provide career opportunities to vets and their families. it runs until 3:00 this afternoon at the patriot center at george mason university and it's free for veterans to attend. now for a look at what's inside the pages of this week's kids post. here is eun yang. >> good morning. the life of a family in the military. real teachers pets that you might find scary and books to add to your home library. joining us is tracy graham from "the washington post" kids post. we're talking about military families on this veterans day weekend, how important to make the sacrifice thes make as well. >> for lots of kids veterans day is sort of a weird holiday. you know, it's about old people or something like that. but in sunday's kids post we make it about the families, the kids who also serve. in the washington area there are

so many wonderful kids who go for months and years without seeing their parents, who move, you know, every year or two, and we tell their story in a way that i think other kids will relate to and make veterans day very special for kids this year. >> any time i see those home coming videos i cannot help but cry. i can't help it. >> the tears. >> i can't imagine how much the parent and child miss each other. next, real life teachers pets. >> pets in the classroom sounds like a fun thing. but it's actually a really important learning tool. in tuesday's kids post we go to ms. blackman's class. here she is with the spotted gekos that she has in her class. >> fun. >> she also has a bearded lizard. >> yikes. >> the kids talk about how they can interact with the animals, all the different lesson plans. and yes she even has madagascar's hissing cockroaches

in her room. the ew factor is part of the appeal for kids. >> we also have your best books of the year. >> best kids books of the year in wednesday's kids post. it is a really nice list. "life in the ocean" is a nonfiction book about sylvia earl. "how barnum brown discovered the most famous dinosaur in the world." perfect for boys who are totally into that dinosaur thing. also girls. "son" is lois lowry's conclusion to the giver saga which some parents may well remember. those and other really great titles in wednesday's kids post. >> all right. tracy thanks so much as always. for fun family activities visit nbc washington.com or "the washington post".com and click on kids post. that is kids post on tv this week. i'm eun yang. >> those were some cool classroom pets. we used to have a hamster. >> chuck had a correction. >> we were making fun of it.

the spotted gekos and i said the correct pronunciation is geico. >> you're messing us all up. >> i know. >> it was a lot of fun until it was repeated. well let's talk about the weather. >> all right. milder air. finally coming back into the picture around here. i'm talking about maybe even 70 degrees. did he say 70 degrees? yes. your sunday forecast coming up.

a rare tornado swept through southern australia forcing many to take cover. it was part of a severe storm system that hit most of the continent. sydney also experienced rough weather with flooding and even some hail. so far there have been no reports of injuries and limited damage from the storm. >> what is going on? >> well, we're in a very active weather pattern. honestly super storm sandy really messed up circulation patterns pretty much across the northern hemisphere. we've been cold ever since. and as a result, it's dislodged a lot of the air in canada which is why we stayed cold so long. now with the highly amplified pattern we're getting a big ridge so hence a big warmup coming our way for today and

just on the other side of it, another big dump of cold air going down the plains states is really going to chae things dramatically here as we get toward the middle of this upcoming week. so be ready for the rollercoaster, everybody. it will continue. at least on the upside we've got some sunshine and some mild weather. just in time for the weekend. a three-day weekend at that. outside, mostly cloudy but the sunshine is really starting to peek on through. skies are a lot cloudier to the north and east. out to the west skies are noticeably blur. there is the u.s. capitol building. 52 degrees in washington. winds have been fairly light out of the north all morning. they've gone calm now and gradually with time later this afternoon and overnight tonight winds will start to come back around to south and that spells a big warmup for your sunday. so 52 here in town right now. temperatures generally upper 40s to low and mid 50s area wide. 50 degrees in front royal and

winchester. charlestown and inwood, west virginia mid to upper 40s. 50 degrees at the naval academy in annapolis. storm team 4 radar shows the last of the rain drops now way across parts of northern delaware. the delaware bay out into parts of southern new jersey. they're not coming our way. they will not be botheringus. a lot of stuff going on. warm air surging into the great lakes. gale warnings up and down the great lakes. snowflakes across much of the western dakotas and all in the middle of the country today ferocious winds out of the south out ahead of it and strong northerly winds back on the other side of it. so a very active weather day out in the middle of country. for us not too bad at all. high pressure settling on in so that the nice little pattern change for us, little ridge of high pressure provides us with a quiet weekend. southerly winds return tonight into early tomorrow and that spells a big warmup for tomorrow. we've not been near 70 in weeks. we could get to within a degree or two of 70 tomorrow and monday as well. rain chances for us ramp up late monday night into the day

tuesday. today though nothing to worry about. sun and clouds. a milder day than yesterday. very light wind. highs today upper 50s and low 60s. then tomorrow plenty of sunshine. noticeably warmer. upper 60s flirting with 70 in many spots tomorrow. there's your seven-day forecast. enjoy the mild and the dry weather today, tomorrow, and monday because showers with even believe it or not thunderstorm chances in november rolling in as we get into tuesday but wednesday, thursday, friday sunny and chilly as we finish out the week. all right. alabama one of the last big tests taking on the ivies of texas a & m. 73 degrees in t town today. the tide is going to have their hands full with that one. show me your missouri. they are on the road in knoxville, tennessee today. the tigers are playing the volunteers. 64 degrees. a 12:21 kickoff. missouri plays exact football. gamecocks of carolina hosting the razorback of arkansas better known as arkansas in columbia today at noon. 73 and sunny down there.

my beloved sooners avenging the rg iii loss from last year. we were 20-0 against baylor when that win happened for baylor last year. this year we go back to our winning ways. let's hope. it is going to be super windy out thin the plains states toda >> time for a comeback. the time right now is 10:20. -- two redskins are sharing their health secrets next. baby virsus dragon. the new viral video. it's my coffee when i want it. you press a button, you have great dunkin' coffee. i got my coffee for the morning, i got my dunkin' k-cup packs for the rest of the day. only available at dunkin' donuts restaurants. america runs on dunkin' coffee.

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america runs on dunkin'! d.c. united are on their way to houston hoping to keep their playoff run alive. the black and red will take on the houston dynamos tomorrow in the first game of the eastern conference finals. d.c. got to the finals after a dramatic win thursday night over the new york red bulls. nick scored in the 88th minute to win the game and the two-game series tomorrow and the teams will play in washington a week later on november 18th. if you've watched a football game lately you may have noticed some nfl players looking a little more fit. that's because athletes are changing the way they eat and exercise. news 4's doreen gentzler talked to a few players trying to stay healthier on the field and in

the future. >> probably my best season i've had. >> reporter: washington redskins linebacker lorenzo alexander is a big guy 6'1", 244 pounds. his job is to tackle, mowing down anyone trying to score. does it seem a little strange to see him here doing pilates? >> caught up in the whole stigma of doing pilates. you think i don't want to be in the room with a bunch of women and i fell in love with it and enjoyed it. it really helped my game. >> reporter: it also helped him to slim down losing nearly 75 pounds since he started in the nfl six years ago. he says all that weight loss has given him a new edge. it made him faster and stronger. >> it really allows me to be as explosive as i was when i was 285 if not stronger. >> i think it's great our athletes are being more in tuned with their bodies and what goes in their bodies. >> reporter: sports medicine doctor arthur says alexander is

just one of a number of athletes getting faster and slimmer. they're no longer striving to be the big, bulky, 300-pound guy so popular in the '80s and '90s. now they're finding a leaner profile is the way to go. >> when you have more girth you can also -- you're hard to move but you also may be less agile. >> reporter: the doctor says contact sports like football aren't as hard on the body when the athlete's weight is lower. their knees and hips ache less and muscles don't have to work as hard. >> years past i would pull hamstrings just because i was over working them. now that i've been doing pilates i can tell the difference in the wear and tear on my body. >> the game is changing in football. it's a lot faster. >> reporter: baltimore ravens linebacker jamil mclean is also changing his body and has dropped 25 pounds so he can keep up with an evolving sport. his biggest change has been his diet cutting back on carbohydrates and even drinking a liquid meal of fruit and

vegetable juices before a game, something called juicing. >> i don't know a better way to tread pound off than juicing. >> reporter: he says altering his diet has been a game changer literally. >> even the heavier foods make me tired but now putting something in my body that gives me a different type of energy. >> reporter: doreen gentzler, news 4. >> there was naturally a lot of web chatter on the election this week but one viral video is round house kicking some of the attention away. ♪ this is dragon baby. the baby is named romeo elvis and it was made by his father a canadian film maker patrick. since it was posted online last friday the mini movie of little romeo elvis going kung-fu on a stuffed dragon has received almost 18 million youtube hits.

if your name is romeo elvis you have a lot to live up to. >> watch out. we have watched this thing over and over and over again. we cannot figure out how they were able to pull it off. i mean, his kicks are perfect. >> you took tie kwon do sort of. >> yes. >> so you know. >> it is, i mean, it looks perfect. his leg and round about is and everything and then that final jab. >> i wonder if dad used a green screen or something to get some of those. >> movie trickery. >> calls himself an amateur film maker but it's pretty good. >> thanks for joining us this morning. >> we'll be back tomorrow starting at 6:00 a.m. when we switched to fios, we got better tv,

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